Jonathon Wilton
Mrs. Montgomery
English Comp. 1101
11 September 2013
“The 'Banking' Concept of Education”
In Paulo Freire's essay, “The 'Banking' Concept of Education”, he makes a very worthy argument and some very good points in the way he believes education in society should be taught. He writes a theory called the banking concept that states how students are oppressed and have absolutely no say; and his counter argument is problem-posing education, where students and teachers stand as equals. The banking concept is, by far, a more reasonable means of education.
The banking concept is a very sensible way to educate students of many grade levels. Freire explains the banking concept as: “Education […] becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor” (257). To go into further detail, he feels that the students are mere pawns (the incapable) and the teacher is the player (the capable).
Freire goes on to describe how the teacher is an all mighty power that oppresses the students from achieving their full potential. He compares the students and teachers in a very exaggerated way saying:
a. the teacher teaches and the students are taught;
b. the teacher knows everything and the students know nothing;
c. the teacher thinks and the students are thought about;
d. the teacher talks and the students listen—meekly;
e. the teacher disciplines and the students are disciplined;
f. the teacher chooses and enforces his choice, and the students comply;
g. the teacher acts and the students have the illusion of acting through the action of the teacher;
h. the teacher chooses the program content, and the students (who were not consulted) adapt to it;
i. the teacher confuses the authority of knowledge with his own professional authority, which he sets in opposition to the freedom of the students;
j. the teacher is the Subject of the learning process, while the pupils are mere objects. (258)...